The Christian Leader Podcast
The Christian Leader Podcast is the official podcast from USMB, featuring honest and practical conversations for anyone following Jesus—in life, ministry, and everything in between. Join us as we disciple, develop, and deploy followers of Jesus for life and leadership.
The Christian Leader Podcast
A Higher Purpose: Honoring God in the Workplace (Wendell Funk)
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Wendell Funk has spent three decades building a successful career with significant impact in his community. He currently serves 3,000 business leaders as the president and CEO of the Wichita Independent Business Association. In this episode, Wendell joins Matt to talk about what it looks like to honor God in the marketplace, primarily through genuine relationship-building with everyone he meets, Christian or not.
Wendell traces his faith story from a childhood in a Christian home and reflects candidly on how his priorities shifted across each "chapter" of his career. He and Matt dig into practical territory: how business principles can strengthen the church, how church principles (like small groups) can strengthen a business, and how success and humility aren't actually in tension when success is used to benefit others.
The conversation closes with two distinct pieces of advice, one for leaders further along in their careers, and one for young professionals, built around Wendell's memorable "keep the ball in play" golf metaphor. For all stages, Wendell encourages us to stay anchored to a "commitment line" through life's (and our career's) highs and lows.